Heavy Freezing Spray Warning Issued for Passage Canal Through Friday Afternoon

Alert Details

The National Weather Service (NWS) Anchorage AK has issued a Heavy Freezing Spray Warning for the Passage Canal region. This alert is effective immediately and is scheduled to remain in place until 5:00 PM AKST on Friday, February 20, 2026.

Affected Areas

The warning specifically impacts the following geographic zone:

• Passage Canal (PKZ723) within the Northern Gulf of Alaska Coast.

What You Should Do

Residents and mariners are advised to avoid the area. The NWS response instruction for this event is to avoid the affected waters due to the severe risk of ice accumulation on vessels and hazardous maritime conditions.

Expected Conditions

• Wind: West winds are expected to increase to 40 knots tonight with gusts reaching up to 55 knots. On Friday, winds will remain strong at 35 knots with gusts to 45 knots.
• Seas: Wave heights are forecast to build to 5 feet.
• Accumulation: Heavy freezing spray is expected tonight and throughout Friday. By Friday night, conditions may transition to standard freezing spray as winds decrease to 25 knots with gusts to 35 knots near Whittier.

Timeline

The Heavy Freezing Spray Warning is active from Thursday afternoon, February 19, through 5:00 PM AKST on Friday, February 20. Conditions are expected to moderate by Saturday, with winds decreasing to 20 knots and seas subsiding to 3 feet.